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Labor Day provides a unique opportunity for both the religious community and the union movement to rediscover their common bonds: social justice, equality, the dignity and respect of all persons, economic justice, and fair treatment in the workplace.
In past years, thousands of members of congregations around the country listened to union leaders and activists speak about their experiences as people of faith and union members during Labor Day weekend worship services.
Through this program, congregations were educated about the connections between faith and work; new friendships were inspired between the religious community and labor unions; congregations were presented with opportunities for acting on the social teachings of their faith groups; and union leaders and members gained a deeper understanding of their faith in action.
Islam and Fairness in the Workplace
"When you hire, compensate the workers and treat them fairly."
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (PBUH)
Islam is a religion that believes in freedom, justice and equality. Islam is an Arabic term meaning peace and submission to the Will of God. Islam is a way of life that encompasses every aspect of a Muslim's life; at home and abroad, at all times. Fairness and equity are a part of that way of life. God said in the Holy Qur´an: "Give full measure when you measure out and weigh with a fair balance. This is fair and better in the end." (17:35)
Men and women earning an honest living is honorable, regardless of how great or minimal the work appears. "Every man must earn his own living and every profession is therefore honorable, even that of a hewer of wood. A person may follow any worldly pursuit that he likes, but duty to Allah shall take precedence of all other duties," said one Muslim scholar. "No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the work of his hand," the Prophet reportedly said. This simply means that the humblest work carries with it a dignity.
Islam is against discrimination, intolerance, and injustice in the workplace. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "When you hire, compensate the workers and treat them fairly." And on another occasion, the Prophet said, "Compensate the worker before the sweat dries."
There is a heroic aspect of Islam that compels Muslims to fight to ensure that people can work with dignity, free from oppression. "O you who believe, stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin; whether it be against rich or poor: For Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do." (4:135)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established Islam as a revolutionary force. The Prophet fought against injustice wherever He found it. He was a man for the oppressed, for the poor, the orphan, and the widow; He spoke up for the rights of women and pulled down leaders who ruled in selfish avarice and greed. He fought valiantly even against his own family members when necessary.
In Islam, no person is better due to status or wealth. No matter whether rich or poor, Muslims are encouraged to treat everyone equal, with justice and fairness, because only God is great. "None of you has faith unless you love for your brother what you love for yourself," said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Regardless to creed, class, or color, Islam demands that people treat each other justly, equally, truthfully, and with dignity, honor and respect.
SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET:
"Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest of faith."
"Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be you, O servants of God, brothers."
Prepared by Toure Muhammad, Public Relations Coordinator, Interfaith Worker Justice
Labor and Jewish Tradition
"You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land." Deuteronomy 24:14
"In the organization of workers for the purpose of protecting their working conditions there is an element of justice and tikkun olam. Unorganized labor works for lower wages and longer hours, and this is thus to the detriment of the working conditions of the organized worker and causes him economic loss. Such losses can be claimed through a lawsuit, and therefore both the employer and the unorganized worker can be summoned to a beit din..." (Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook, 1933)
"So we find at various stages of Jewish history examples of such organizations covering many different types of artisans and workers. In Talmudic times, there are references to organizations of weavers and dyers, bakers, drovers, and sailors. . .In Jerusalem during Temple times there existed special synagogues for each trade and craft, while in Alexandria special sections were reserved in the Great Synagogue for different types of workers. . ." ("With All Your Possessions: Jewish Ethics and Economic Life" by Meir Tamari)
"The Jewish community in the United States has been supportive of worker and trade union rights for many years, even as it evolved from a predominantly working class community in the first part of the century to a predominantly professional and entrepreneurial-class community today. This support stems in part from a collective memory of an earlier period of mass Jewish immigration to the United States, when an overwhelmingly immigrant community toiled in difficult and often desperate conditions in the garment industry and other trades..."
"Both in spirit and practice, religious commandments relating to the hiring of workers are imbued with respect for labor rights and some Jewish religious laws anticipate current secular law by thousands of years." ("Labor Rights in the Jewish Tradition" by Michael S. Perry)
"You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and urgently depends upon it." Deuteronomy 24:14,15
"The Torah includes four negative precepts and one positive commandment enjoining the prompt payment of wages. Though they were originally phrased in terms of a daily wage, they embrace weekly and monthly payments as these become prevalent...In addition to monetary wages, remuneration can also take the form of nonfinancial benefits accruing to a worker through his working conditions and fringe benefits. Important as they were in early periods of Jewish history, such benefits would seem to be of greater importance today...Halakhic sources see the accepted fringe benefits prevalent at a given time or place, or in a given industry, as having the legal status of part of the total reimbursement of the employee...Regarding hours of employment, the same source tells us that 'one cannot compel his employees to come earlier or depart later than is customary at that place.'" ("With All Your Possessions" by Meir Tamari)
"A handmill or an upper millstone [one's means of livelihood] shall not be taken in pawn, for that would be taking someone's life in pawn." Deuteronomy 24:6
Prepared by Ms. Minna Morse, Jews United for Justice, Washington D.C.
Litany for Workers
God, you stand with the poor and disenfranchised, and for justice among peoples. Please show us how to do the same.
God, hear our prayer.
As people of faith, we are dismayed by a system that threatens workers with replacement, shatters their hope of dignity and respect, and denies their benefits, health care and pensions. Have mercy upon us for our complicity in this sin.
God, hear our prayer.
Shatter our complacency; give us a sense of holy outrage about this cruel and blasphemous abuse of your creation and your will.
God, hear our prayer.
Don't let us be deadened to the need of radical changes, or casually bury dissent under indifference, or turn our backs upon you and our sisters and brothers.
God, hear our prayer.
God, we confess that we stand in the richest country on Earth where CEOs receive 419 times the wages paid to their workers, and the bottom 60 percent of Americans share slightly more than six percent of the nation?s wealth. Forgive us for failing to show love in the world as you do.
God, hear our prayer.
God, teach us to share dignity and respect with others.
God, hear our prayer.
God, guide us to share a living wage and a decent life with others.
God, hear our prayer.
Bless us, God, to come together for the common good, and serve you with honesty, courage, and singleness of heart.
God, hear our prayer.
Prepared by Malcolm Boyd, Diocese of Los Angeles, for a service for LAX workers, May 1999.
Letania para trabajadores
Señor, tù que estás a favor de los pobres y los desprotegidos, y por justicia entre los hombres, Enseñanos a hacer lo mismo
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Como gente de fé, nos consterna el sistema que amenaza a los trabajadores con reemplazos permanentes, les destroza la esperanza de dignidad y respeto y les niega beneficios, plan de salud y pensión. Ten misericordia de nosotros por nuestra complicidad en este pecado
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Destroza nuestra complacencia, danos un sentido de santo enojo ante estos crueles y blásfemos abusos hacía tu creación y tu voluntad.
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
No permitas que nos endurezcamos a la necesidad de hacer cambios radicales o que casualmente sepultemos la inconformidad por indiferencia, or que te demos la espalda a ti y a nuestros hermanos y hermanas.
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Señor, confesamos que estamos en el pais más rico de la tierra donde CEOs reciban 419 veces más del salario pagado a sus trabajadores, el 60 porcentaje de los Americanos apenas comparten más del 6 porcentaje de la riqueza de la nación. Perdónanos por fallar en demostrar nuestro amor al mundo como lo haces tú
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Señor, enséñanos a compartir la dignidad y el respeto con otros.
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Señor, guíanos para que el salario justo y una vida más decente sean compartida con otros.
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Bendícenos, Señor, para que nos unamos por el bien común y pora que te sirvamos con honestidad, valentía y de todo corazón
Señor, escucha nuestra oración.
Escrito por Malcolm Boyd, Diocesa de Los Angeles, para un servicio religioso para los trabajadores de LAX, Mayo 1999.
The Achilles' Heel of the Economy
Dr. Ray Marshall, former secretary of labor, refers to the increasing disparity in wages as the Achilles' heel of the economy. In an overall rosy economy, many workers are struggling to make ends meet.
Catholic Social Teaching states that the economy must serve people and not the other way around. Work and wages should support families. Families should not be undermined by the structure of the economy. Unfortunately, even though the economy is considered strong, the benefits are not being distributed fairly. Some workers are earning astronomical salaries, with Cadillac benefits and stock options. Many other workers and their families are not making ends meet. If the economy is to serve the person, it must serve all persons, not just the wealthy.
Test your knowledge of the Achilles" heel of the economy.
- In the economy at large, what has been the most important factor in maintaining or increasing family income?
- Higher wages.
- Good stock returns.
- Two adults working.
- What is the fastest category of jobs in the U.S.?
- Computer technology
- Nursing home aides
- Cashiers
- Who is the largest employer in the U.S.?
- General Motors
- McDonalds
- Manpower, Inc.
- What percentage of new jobs pay wages below a livable wage?
- 34 percent
- 54 percent
- 74 percent
- What percentage of children live in poverty?
- 16 percent
- 21 percent
- 26 percent
- How many Americans are without health insurance coverage?
- 32 million
- 42 million
- 52 million
- What percent of stock, mutual funds, and pension funds does the bottom 80 percent of American families own?
- 3 percent
- 10 percent
- more than 20 percent
- Between 1980 and 1997, after adjusting for inflation, the minimum wage fell 15 percent, the average hourly wage declined by 3 percent, and corporate profits rose by 118 percent. How much did CEO pay increase?
- 336 percent
- 436 percent
- 536 percent
- How much higher are union wages than non-union wages?
- 22 percent
- 34 percent
- 42 percent
Answers to The Achilles' Heel
1) The most significant factor over the last twenty years in maintaining and increasing family income has been putting two adults into the workforce. Without increasing the number of workers, family incomes would have fallen dramatically. This is clearly a factor in parents spending 40 percent less time with their children.
2) Cashier is the occupation category that will add the most jobs in the coming years. These jobs pay significantly below a living wage.
National Priorities Project, Working Hard, Earning Less: The Story of Job Growth in America, December 1998.
3) Manpower, Inc. is the largest U.S. employer, with more than half a million workers. Manpower, Inc. is a temporary agency, reflecting the switch from full-time jobs to part-time and temporary jobs. Currently, 27 percent of workers are nonstandard.
AFL-CIO; America @ Work, January 1999.
4) This figure depends on what one defines as a living wage. In a recent study by the National Priorities Project, 74 percent of all new jobs were found to pay below a livable wage, if one looked at the actual costs for a family of four to meet their basic needs of food, housing, transportation, clothing, and to pay federal and state taxes. A livable wage for a family of four, as defined by this research, was around $32,000, although it varied some by state.
Working Hard, Earning Less: The Story of Job Growth in America
5) 21 percent of all children live in poverty, but 46 percent of African American children and 40 percent of Latino children live in poverty.
Center for the Future of Children, The Future of Children. Vo. 7, No 2, 1997.
6) Over 42 million Americans are without health insurance coverage. Most of those without health insurance are low-wage workers and their families.
7) The bottom 80 percent of American families only own three percent of stock, mutual funds, and pension funds. UFCW Action, July-August, 1998.
8) CEO pay increased by 536 percent during this period. AFL-CIO.
9) On average, union wages are 34 percent higher than non-union wages, but the difference is even greater for African American and Latino workers. African American union workers earn 44 percent more than their non-union counterparts, and Latino workers earn 51 percent more than non-union Latinos.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings. January 1998.
Selected Biblical Passages on Justice for Workers
Genesis I: 26-28, 2:15 God the Creator.
Genesis 2:1-2 God rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 3:7-8 God heard the cry of the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 15:11 Open your hand to the poor and needy.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 Don't withhold wages of poor...laborers-including those of "aliens."
Psalm 72 God will judge people with righteousness.
Proverbs 21:13 Don't close your ears to the cry of the poor.
Ecclesiastes 4:1 God sees the oppressions that are practiced.
Isaiah 30:18 God of justice.
Isaiah 32:17 Justice will bring peace.
Isaiah 58:6-8 The fast God chooses is to loosen the bands of wickedness.
Jeremiah 21:11-12 Execute justice.
Jeremiah 22:13 Woe to him who...does not give [neighbors] their wages.
Jeremiah 34:8-14 Treat the alien well like God had treated the Israelites.
Amos 5:22-24 Let justice flow like a stream.
Amos 8:4-7 Woe to those who trample the needy...buying the poor for silver.
Micah 6:8 God requires us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
Matthew 6:24 You cannot serve God and money.
Matthew 22:39 Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Matthew 25:31-36 The Kingdom is for those who feed the hungry, welcome strangers.
Luke 4:18-19 Anointed to preach good news to the poor.
Luke 10:27 Love your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 16:19-31 Rich man who doesn't see the poor at his gate.
Romans 12:21 Overcome evil with good.
I Corinthians 3:6-9 Each will receive wages according to the labor of each.
I Corinthians 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer.
Philippians 2:4 Look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
I Timothy 6:18-19 Rich people are to be generous and ready to share.
II Timothy 1:7 God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love.
II Timothy 2:6 The farmer that labors must receive the first rewards.
James 5:4 The wages of laborers kept back by fraud cry out.
I John 3:16-18 Love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
Reflections on the Common Lectionary
What follows are reflections that may be useful to speakers at Christian services on Labor Day weekend at which the Common Lectionary readings are proclaimed. Most Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant churches use the Common Lectionary. Ask the pastor.
These reflections have a primary intention: to link your reflections to the Gospel. The other readings for each weekend are also listed if you would like to reflect on an alternative reading. Remember to tell your own story, use your own words and be yourself. These reflections simply may provide a framework that you can adopt. They are not intended to be an entire sermon.
Readings for Sept. 5, 1999
Exodus 12:1-14
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
In this passage, Jesus instructs his followers in a method of conflict resolution which required organized group action. "If your brother does wrong," He said, go and discuss it with him privately, one-on-one. "If you are not listened to, take one or two others," He said, and visit the wrongdoer again. Supported by your companions, try once again to persuade him to correct his behavior. If this is ineffective, report the wrongdoer to your whole congregation, and if he still will not listen, "let such be to you as a pagan or a tax collector."
The initial response to the wrongdoer is to approach him privately, one-on-one, which places the two persons on an equal footing: the wrongdoer alone with the accuser. The last step of this process is to force the wrongdoer to confront the entire congregation, who will all insist that the wrongdoer mend his ways. There is no hint of dealing with him as an equal; this final step brings the pressure of the entire community of believers to bear against one person (a source of institutional injustice or an oppressive employer) with the clear threat the wrongdoer must change, or face a penalty. Jesus says that all must follow God's law, but if the power of holy authority is insufficient to bring a transgressor into line, the persuasive power of the group may be added to it.
As I stand before you to offer a reflection on the meaning of Labor Day, this passage reminds me of why people organize into labor unions. My voice alone would have been of little meaning to a decision maker at my company. But as a union member, I know that our combined voice will be heard. There are many misunderstandings about why people organize or join unions. People organize and join unions so that they have protection and a way for their voices to be heard. If we are concerned about having a voice in decisions, a safe working environment, living wages, decent benefits, and job security, the union provides a way for us to voice those concerns without fear, and the understanding that we will not be ignored.
Beyond the specific benefits unions offer individuals, it is important for those seeking justice in the society to understand and recognize the important role that unions (collective worker voice) have played in U.S. society at large. The union movement provides public policy advocacy for workers (historically, this advocacy brought us the weekend, paid holidays, the eight-hour day, and an end to child labor.) Unions also create a wage floor for all workers and can challenge the gross disparity of wages that we see today.
Working together–organized labor and the church–we can be a strong voice in the struggle for worker justice.
10 Things you can do to help workers:
- Pray for all workers, especially those who work under sweatshop conditions, are on strike, downsized, or locked out.
- Use the enclosed worker rights bulletin inserts in your congregation's bulletin. Additional languages, including Hmong, Polish, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Haitian/Creole, and Vietnamese will be available by December, 2000, and can be downloaded at www.iwj.org.
- Invite a union leader to speak to the congregation at an appropriate time. Hundreds of congregations have participated in Labor in the Pulpit programs conducted jointly by interfaith groups and central labor councils. Labor leaders are recruited and trained to speak in congregations about the shared values between people of faith and labor unions.
- Seek to ensure that all the workers employed by the congregation are paid wages that can support families and provide family health coverage.
- Develop a construction policy for the congregation (unless your diocese or faith group already has one) to make sure that repairs and construction work is done by contractors and subcontractors that treat workers justly. (Order a copy of Building Projects and Religious Values from the Interfaith Worker Justice.)
- Structure times for congregation members to talk about how they practice their faith on the job. Most workers face challenging ethical questions at work. Structure opportunities for congregation members to talk about their work lives and find support for ethical dilemmas.
- Encourage congregation members to advocate for public policies that seek justice for all workers, including decent wages and health care benefits for all workers.
- Boycott products produced by companies where workers are organizing to improve conditions and where boycotts are viewed as an effective means for encouraging a just resolution to the workers' problems. For a list of boycotted products, visit www.unionlabel/org.
- Invite someone from the Department of Labor to speak to workers in your congregation about workers rights that are protected under state and federal laws. Many workers, especially low-wage workers, are underpaid or taken advantage of because they don't know their rights or the correct procedures for filing complaints.
- Investigate sweatshops in your own community. Many of us think about sweatshops as garment factories in Indonesia or Chinatown in New York City, and there are plenty of sweatshops in those places. But there are usually sweatshops in our midst–perhaps not garment sweatshops, but sweatshops nonetheless because of routine violations of labor laws. Talk with nursing home workers, laundry workers, restaurant workers, farmworkers, landscapers, poultry workers, or other food processing workers. Find out about sweatshops in your midst.
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